The shortlist for the 2011 Transform Awards has been announced, with financial services firms featuring most heavily in the running.

Now in their second year, the Transform awards are the UK’s only dedicated celebration of rebranding, brand transformation and reputational change. And several of this year’s hopefuls come from a sector that was understandably keen to alter perceptions.

Two years on from the economic crisis, it seems that financial services firms have raced to rebrand and reposition themselves in order to address growing problems with their reputation. Entrants from the sector far outnumber those from other sectors on the awards shortlist: Hermes, Allianz Insurance, BDO, Imaqliq, Zurich Financial Services, Legal & General, Ageas and PwC are all up for prizes.

Judged by a jury of branding experts, communications practitioners and academics, the Transform 2011 Awards are organised by Communicate magazine, the UK’s leading magazine for corporate communications and stakeholder relations.

The awards recognise best practice in corporate, product, regional and national rebrands, with categories that focus on strategy, execution, content and evaluation. The 2011 awards were, for the first time, open to entrants from anywhere in Europe and were for brand transformations launched between April 2009 and December 2010.

The full shortlist is below and the winners will be announced at a gala dinner on 7 April at The Grange St Paul’s Hotel, London. Tables are now available - visit www.transformawards.com for more details.

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